Collapsible shaft



Feb. 11, 1930. w. H. WENDT 1,746,976

COLLAPSIBLE SHAFT Filed May 7, 1927 I l I l l L..-

/4 3 z/ /4 INVENTOR 2/ 2/ W/LL/AMH. WENDT Fl TTORNEYS V fi YWWM' Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. WEND'I, or LITTLE FALLS, MINNESOTA coLLArsIBLE SHAFT Application filed May 7, 1927. Serial No. 189,590;

This invention relates to new and useful and inexpensive and may therefore be manuimprovements in collapsible shafts, generfactured at a minimum cost. ally, and more particularly relates to such The particular object of the invention shafts adapted for use in paper mills to retherefore is to provide an improved collapsiceive paper which is wound thereupon in the ble shaft.

form of a web. After the paper has thus Other objects of the invention will appear been wound or rolled upon the shaft, it is from the following description and accomremoved therefrom in the form of a large panying drawings and will be pointed out in roll, and it is therefore desirable that the shaft the annexed claims.

10 upon which the paper is wound, is constructed 7 In the accompanying drawings there has in such a manner that it may be collapsed or been disclosed a structure designed to carry reduced in diameter to permit the easy reout the various objects of the invention but it moval of the roll of paper therefrom. isto be understood that the invention is not An object of this invention is to provide a confined to the exact features shown, as vari- 15 collapsible shaft, comprising two sections 0115 changes may be made within the scope of normally spaced apart and retained in true the claims which follow. diametric relation, and one of said sections In the accompanying drawings forming being translatable axially with respect to the part of this specification; other section to cause the shaft to collapse to Figure 1 is an elevational view, showing the a smaller diameter, when moved in one direcimproved shaft mounted in suitable bearings;

tion, and to cause it to expand to normal diam- Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view eter, when moved in the opposite direction. showing the shaft sections in normal ex- A further object of the invention is to propanded position; vide such a shaft comprising two sections in- Figure 3 is a similar view showing the terlockingly engaged with each other, and shaft sections collapsed;

one of the sections being adapted for radial Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, and longitudinal movement to decrease the partially broken away, to shown the chandiameter of the shaft,.wh'en moved 1n one d1- nels provided in the adjacent edges of the 30 rection, to permit the removal of a roll of shaft sections;

paper or other material therefrom. Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view Other objects of the invention are; to proon the line 55 of Figure 2; and vide a collapsible shaft comprising a sta- Figure 6 is a similar view on the line 66 tionary section and a movable section, and the of Figure 3. r stationary section having a plurality of cam The novel shaft featured in this invention members secured thereto and engageable with comprises a stationary section 11 and a mov- 5 means on the movable section to expand the bl tion 12 norm ally spaced apart by a shaft 6 nqr and the movable plurality of cam members 13,having their end 580151011 havlng a phuilhty transversely portions seated in inwardly facing channels Posed recesses i adjacent faces thereof 14:, provided adjacent the faces or ed es 15 adapted to receive said cam elements to cause of the Shaft Section 11 as Shown in Figure 5 the collapse of the shaft; to provide such a The shaft section 12 is provided with outshaft havin the adjacent ed es of the sec- I tions thereofinterlockingly engaged with one wardly facmg Channels 16 and tongues 17 another len thwise thereof to prevent the whlfzh are recqlvedim the Channelslf m h 45 separation of the two sections, when the shaft SLaUOHarY-SQCUOP The Shaft $651011 11 1S is removed from its bearings; to provide also provided wlth inwardly facing tongues means f l it di ll i One f the 18 which are IGCQIVGCl 1n the channels 16 1n shaft sections for the purpose of expanding the Shaft Sectlon r adapted t0 50 and collapsing the shaft; and in the general gag the gHB 17 to prevent the accidental construction of the shaft which is very simple separation of the two shaft sections, when they are removed from their bearings 19 and 20, shown in Figure 1.

The adjacent faces or edges21 of the shaft section 12 have transversely disposed recesses or notches 22 provided at intervals therein, each of which has an inclined face 23 adapted to engage its complementary cam member 13, shown in Figures 2 and 3. The recesses 22 are of sufficient length to receive the cam members 13, as shown in Figure 3. In Figure 2, it will be noted, that the shaft section 12 is spaced from the section 11 as a result of the faces 21 of the section 12 being engaged with the cams 13. It will therefore be seen that when the shaft section 12 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, that the faces 21 of the section 12 will be moved out of engagement with the cam members 13, and the latter will be received in the recesses 22, after which the upper section will assume the position shown in Figure 3, with its faces coincident with the faces 15 of the shaft section 11, as shown in Figures 3 and 6. When the parts are thus positioned, the diameter of the shaft in one direction will be decreased, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 6.

The means provided for axially or longitudinally moving the shaft section 12 with respect to the stationary section 11, is shown in Figures 2 and 3, and resides in the provision of elongated apertures 24: and 25 respectively in the shaft sections 11 and 12. These apertures are adapted to receive an operating lever or member 26, having a stud or pin 27 secured thereto and adapted to engage one of the shaft sections to limit the insertion of the member through the apertures 2i and 25, shown in Figure 3. This operating member functions as a lever to translate the upper section 12 with respect to the lower section, which will readily be understood, by reference to the right hand sides of Figures 2 and3. The dotted lines in Figure 2 illustrate the position of the lever before having moved the shaft section 12, and the full lines in Figure 3 illustrate the position of the lever after having translated the shaft section 12 to collapse the shaft.

The means provided for locking the two shaft sections in their normal expanded positions is shown in Figure 2 and comprises an annular collar 28 having a lock screw 29 mounted therein and adapted to securely lock together the two sections. The lower terminal of the lock screw is preferably engaged with a block 30 of a relatively soft metal, to prevent the screw from damaging or marring the surface of the shaft section 12, when the screw is in looking position. The collar 28 also functions as a stop collar to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft in one direction, when positioned in the bearings 19 and 20. Stop means are also preferably provided adjacent the opposite ends of the shaft sections to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft in the opposite direction. Such means consists in the provision of stop elements 31 and 32 being secured respectively to the shaft sections 11 and 12, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. These members are semi-circular in form, and, when the shaft sections are mounted in their bearings and are expanded to normal position, the members 31 and 32 form in effect a collar adapted to engage one end of the bearing 20, to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft sections.

lVhen it is desired to collapse the shaft,

the lock screw 29 is released, after which the operating lever 26 is inserted in the apertures 2-1- and 25 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. It is then moved to the right to the full line position in Figure 3, thereby relatively translating the upper section 12 upon the lower section, until the notches 22 are moved into registration with the cam members 13, thus causing the collapse of the shaft. (See Figures 2 and 3.) The shaft sections may as readily be expanded to their normal position bv simply moving the operating lever 26 in the opposite direction. A stop bar 33 is terminally secured to the stationary shaft section 11 as shown at the left hand side of Figures 2 and 3, adapted to be engaged by the movable section to limit its axial movement in one direction. The section 12 has notches 34 adapted to receive the stop bar 33.

I claim as my invention:

1. A collapsible shaft comprising two semi-cylindrical sections normally retained in true diametric relation and adapted, upon relative axial movement of one of said sections, to collapse, the adjacent edges of said sections being interlockingly engaged.

2. A collapsible shaft comprising two semicylindrical sections inseparably connected, means normally retaining said sections in expanded diametric relation, and one of said sections being translatable longitudinally upon the other section to cause the collapse of the shaft.

3. A collapsible shaft comprising two sections interlockingly engaged with each other, means normally retaining said sections in expanded position and adapted upon axial movement of one of said sections in one direction, to cause the shaft to collapse, and when said section is translated in the opposite direction, to cause the shaft to expand to normal diameter, and sockets in said sections adapted to receive an instrumentality for relatively translating one of said sections said sections in expanded diametric relation,

and the other of said sections having a plurality of transversely disposed recesses adapted to receive said cam elements to cause the collapse of the shaft, when one of said shaft sections is translated axially with respect to the other section.

5. A collapsible shaft comprising two elongated, semi-cylindrical sections inseparably connected together, and cam elements secured to one of said sections and normally retaining said sections in expanded diametric relation, the other of said sections having a plurality of transversely disposed recesses adapted to receive said cam elements to cause the collapse of the shaft, and said shaft sections being adapted to receive an element for relatively translating one of said sections upon the other section.

6. A collapsible hollow shaft comprising a stationary section and a movable section, having their adjacent edges interlockingly engaged to prevent accidental separation of the two sections, when removed from their support, and transversely disposed cam elements secured to the stationary section and normally retaining the sections in spaced expanded position, and said movable section having a plurality of transversely disposed recesses adapted to receive said cam elements to cause the collapse of the shaft, when said movable section is translated longitudinally.

7. A collapsible hollow shaft comprising a stationary section and a movable section, having their adjacent edges channeled and interlockingly engaged to prevent accidental separation of the two sections, when removed from their support, and transversely disposed cam elements secured to the stationary section and normally retaining the sections in spaced expanded position, said movable section having a plurality of transversely disposed recesses adapted to receive said cam elements to cause the collapse of the shaft, when said movable section is axially translated in one direction, and said shaft section being adapted to receive an operating means for translating said movable section.

8. A collapsible shaft comprising semi-cylindrical, hollow sections, one stationary and cylindrical, hollow sections, one stationary,

and the other axially translatable thereon, said stationary sections having inwardly facing longitudinal channels and tongues, and said movable section having similarly shaped outwardly facing channels and tongues adapted to interlockingly engage the channels and tongues in said stationary section to limit the relative radial movement of said shaft sections and permitting relative longitudinal movement thereof, and cam devices associated with said sections to cause the collapse of the shaft, when the movable section is translated in one direction, and to cause the expansion of said shaft to normal diameter, when said section is moved in the opposite direction.

10. A collapsible shaft comprising a stationary and a movable section having their adjacent portions channeled and interlockthe other axially translatable thereon, the

stationary section having inwardly facing longitudinal channels adjacent the edges thereof and inwardly facing marginal tongues, said movable section having outwardly facing longitudinal channels adapted to receive said marginal tongues to prevent the accidental separation of the shaft sections, and means interposed between said sections adapted to cause the collapse of the shaft, when said movable section is translate-d in one direction, said means causing the expansion of the shaft to normal diameter, when said section is moved in the opposite direction.

9. A collapsible shaft comprising semi- 

